Drama and Theater

Baja California Sur has seven theater houses, while Baja California has 21.  Of these, only three have the minimum equipment for performances and three are outdoor theaters.

Although facilities for cultural events are available when financing is in place, public interest in theater is lacking.  Drama productions are generally quite expensive to execute, and there are few educational opportunities for promising actors, directors, or stage staff.  Public financing is rarely available, and is not sufficient to address those needs.  The presence and concentration of most theater groups in La Paz, combined with high production costs, have restricted drama performances to that city alone, further reducing the potential audience for theater.

In Baja California Sur, there are several theater groups: Altaira, the IMSS theater workshop, La Hostería, A Camanchi, Cóndor, La Prisa de Cronos, the Traveling Theater (Teatro Itinerante), Colectivo Chunique, and La Raza.  Each of these is made up of ten to twenty people, mostly teenagers and young people. The number of participants varies depending on the time of school year because most participants are students.  Educational institutions that host theater groups are UABCS, la Preparatoria Morelos (Morelos Senior High School), and Baja California Sur’s Escuela Normal Superior.

The Baja California Sur Institute of Culture (ISC) maintains a roster of drama professionals, as well as musicians.  There are 27 individuals who are dedicated to the theater and 63 musicians that have registered with ISC for performances, most of whom are concentrated in the city of La Paz.[1]  In 2002, the ISC organized the State Theater Show, the Region’s Theater festival and the State’s Theater Competition, with the participation of 11 companies in the city La Paz.  The ISC later arranged training courses for cultural promoters and actors to improve coordination and institutional organization.